Haloti Ngata DT 6’5 338 Oregon Jr.
By: Robert Davis

Haloti Ngata has always been one of the most imposing figures you’ll see on a football field. He was widely regarded as one of the top five players in the entire country coming out of high school. He gave glimpses of his talent as a freshman, but missed the entire following year due to a knee injury. Ngata didn’t regain his previous form until halfway through last year at Oregon. As a junior this past season, Ngata notched 61 tackles, nine for loss, and three sacks, despite constant double and triple teams.

You cannot dream up a more physically gifted defensive tackle. Ngata is absolutely massive and is immovable from the interior line. He combines his bulk with amazing physical strength. Along with his great size and strength, he has impressive athleticism and agility. Moving up the field, he shows the ability to change direction well and has the closing speed to finish off plays. Oregon even drops him into coverage from his tackle spot. That is unheard of for a 340lber. He must be accounted for at all times. Teams routinely double and triple team him to neutralize his impact.

Ngata has gotten a ton of hype because of his physical gifts, but he still needs some more consistency on the field. At times, he thinks his raw strength is enough to dominate, and that will not work at the next level. He injured his knee in 2003, and even though he appears to be back at full strength, it will be something that is looked into.

On his talent alone, Ngata is going to be a high draft pick. Teams will drool over his physical ability in workouts. He is one of the elite defensive players in this draft, and could go in the Top eight of this years draft.